Teriyaki Chicken

Whenever we go to a Japanese restaurant, my hubby will always order Teriyaki Chicken - it's his favourite Japanese dish.  He likes the mix of crispy skin and tender flavoursome meat in the sweet and savoury sauce.  We have had lots of Teriyaki Chicken over the years, some really tasty but some not so good.  Here's my recipe that has earned his tick of approval.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken thighs (deboned, skin on)

• 1 tablespoon cornflour

• 1 tablespoon Canola oil

Marinade:

• 2 slices ginger (grated)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon light soya sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 teaspoon sugar

Teriyaki sauce:

• 1 tablespoon light soya sauce

• 1 tablespoon mirin

• 1 tablespoon sake

• 2 teaspoons sugar

METHOD

1. Check that the chicken thigh is even in thickness to ensure even cooking.  Either pound the meat or make slits to flatten the thigh.

2. Marinade the chicken thighs for 15 minutes.  The marinaded chicken should be fairly dry.  Coat it with a thin layer of cornflour on both sides.

3. Heat oil in the pan over moderately high flame.  Place the chicken skin-side down in the pan and fry until the skin is golden brown.

4. Lower the heat and flip the chicken over. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook for 8-10 mins.  Ensure the chicken is fully cooked - when pressed, the juice should run clear. The meat should also be opaque with no traces of pinkness or blood.  Remove chicken from the pan.

5. Add Teriyaki sauce mixture to the oil in the pan and cook the sauce for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.  Pour the sauce into a bowl and drain off most of the oil that floats on top.

6. Cut the chicken into slices and pour the Teriyaki sauce over the chicken.